Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM)

Other common methods include resin/UV light, and powder/laser.

Nozzle Diameter and Layer Thickness

The smaller the nozzle diameter, the less the material deposited and the higher the printing time. In short, it’s a trade-off between resolution and speed.

Nozzle diameter also determines the layer thickness. Recommended layer thickness: 15-75% of the nozzle diameter.

Print Precision

If an object feature is supposed to be 100mm, the actual print will be 99.9mm or 100.1mm. This is not too important when printing large size objects or features.

But, if a feature I’m printing is supposed to be 0.5mm, then the actual print will be 0.4mm or 0.6mm.

Temperature (material dependent)

Extrusion temperature > melting temperature

PLA: Tmelt = 170-180 Celsius

• Too low temperature doesn’t allow flow of melted polymer.
• Too high temperature and polymer flows too much (too fluid), or damages printer components.

A heated bed helps avoid warping of printed layers.

Infill